Lecture notes in macroeconomics 9096 pps

Lecture notes for Macroeconomics I, 2004 Per Krusell Please do NOT distribute without permission! Comments and suggestions are welcome. 1 2 Chapter 1 Introduction These lecture notes cover a one-semester course. The overriding goal of the course is to begin provide methodological tools for advanced research in macroeconomics. The emphasis is on theory, although data guides the theoretical explorations. We build en- tirely on models with microfoundations, i.e., models where behavior is derived from basic assumptions on consumers’ preferences, production technologies, information, and so on. Behavior is always assumed to be rational: given the restrictions imposed by the primi- tives, all actors in the economic models are assumed to maximize their objectives. Macroeconomic studies emphasize decisions with a time dimension, such as various forms of investments. Moreover, it is often useful to assume that the time horizon is infinite. This makes dynamic optimization a necessary part of the tools we need to cover, and the first significant fraction of the course goes through, in turn, sequential maximization and dynamic programming. We assume throughout that time is discrete, since it leads to simpler and more intuitive mathematics. The baseline macroeconomic model we use is based on the assumption of perfect com- petition. Current research often departs from this assumption in various ways, but it is important to understand the baseline in order to fully understand the extensions. There- fore, we also spend significant time on the concepts of dynamic competitive equilibrium, both expressed in the sequence form and recursively (using dynamic programming). In this context, the welfare properties of our dynamic equilibria are studied. Infinite-horizon models can employ different assumptions about the time horizon of each economic actor. We study two extreme cases: (i) all consumers (really, dynasties) live forever - the infinitely-lived agent model - and (ii) consumers have finite and deterministic lifetimes but there are consumers of different generations living at any point in time - the overlapping-generations model. These two cases share many features but also have important differences. Most of the course material is built on infinitely-lived agents, but we also study the overlapping-generations model in some depth. Finally, many macro economic issues involve uncertainty. Therefore, we spend some time on how to introduce it into our models, both mathematically and in terms of eco- nomic concepts. The second part of the course notes goes over some important macroeconomic topics. These involve growth and business cycle analysis, asset pricing, fiscal policy, monetary economics, unemployment, and inequality. Here, few new tools are introduced; we instead simply apply the tools from the first part of the course. 3 4 Chapter 2 Motivation: Solow’s growth model Most modern dynamic models of macroeconomics build on the framework described in Solow’s (1956) paper. 1 To motivate what is to follow, we start with a brief description of the Solow model. This model was set up to study a closed economy, and we will assume that there is a constant population. 2.1 The model The model consists of some simple equations: C t + I t = Y t = F (K t, L) (2.1) I t = K t+1 − (1 − δ) K t (2.2) I t = sF (K t , L) . (2.3) The equalities in (2.1) are accounting identities, saying that total resources are either consumed or invested, and that total resources are given by the output of a production function with capital and labor as inputs. We take labor input to be constant at this point, whereas the other variables are allowed to vary over time. The accounting identity can also be interpreted in terms of technology: this is a one-good, or one-sector, economy, where the only goo d can be used both for consumption and as capital (investment). Equation (2.2) describes capital accumulation: the output good, in the form of investment, is used to accumulate the capital input, and capital depreciates geometrically: a constant fraction δ ∈ [0, 1] disintegrates every period. Equation (2.3) is a behavioral equation. Unlike in the rest of the course, behavior here is assumed directly: a constant fraction s ∈ [0, 1] of output is saved, independently of what the level of output is. These equations together form a complete dynamic system - an equation system defin- ing how its variables evolve over time - for some given F . That is, we know, in principle, what {K t+1 } ∞ t=0 and {Y t , C t , I t } ∞ t=0 will be, given any initial capital value K 0 . In order to analyze the dynamics, we now make some assumptions. 1 No attempt is made here to properly assign credit to the inventors of each model. For example, the Solow model could also be called the Swan model, although usually it is not. 5 - F (0, L) = 0. - F K (0, L) > δ s . - lim k→∞ sF K (K, L) + (1 − δ) < 1. - F is strictly concave in K and strictly increasing in K. An example of a function satisfying these assumptions, and that will be used repeat- edly in the course, is F (K, L) = AK α L 1−α with 0 < α < 1. This production function is called Cobb-Douglas function. Here A is a productivity parameter, and α and 1 − α denote the capital and labor share, respectively. Why they are called shares will be the subject of the discussion later on. The law of motion equation for capital may be rewritten as: K t+1 = (1 − δ) K t + sF (K t , L) . Mapping K t into K t+1 graphically, this can be pictured as in Figure 2.1. k t k t+1 k ∗ k ∗ Figure 2.1: Convergence in the Solow model The intersection of the 45 o line with the savings function determines the stationary point. It can be verified that the system exhibits “global convergence” to the unique strictly positive steady state, K ∗ , that satisfies: K ∗ = (1 − δ) K ∗ + sF (K ∗ , L) , or δK ∗ = sF (K ∗ , L) (there is a unique positive solution). Given this information, we have Theorem 2.1 ∃K ∗ > 0 : ∀K 0 > 0, K t → K ∗ . 6 Proof outline. (1) Find a K ∗ candidate; show it is unique. (2) If K 0 > K ∗ , show that K ∗ < K t+1 < K t ∀t ≥ 0 (using K t+1 − K t = sF (K t , L) − δK t ). If K 0 < K ∗ , show that K ∗ > K t+1 > K t ∀t > 0. (3) We have concluded that K t is a monotonic sequence, and that it is also bounded. Now use a math theorem: a monotone bounded sequence has a limit. The proof of this theorem establishes not only global convergence but also that conver- gence is monotonic. The result is rather special in that it holds only under quite restrictive circumstances (for example, a one-sector model is a key part of the restriction). 2.2 Applications 2.2.1 Growth The Solow growth model is an important part of many more complicated models setups in modern macroeconomic analysis. Its first and main use is that of understanding why output grows in the long run and what forms that growth takes. We will spend considerable time with that topic later. This involves discussing what features of the production technology are important for long-run growth and analyzing the endogenous determination of productivity in a technological sense. Consider, for example, a simple Cobb-Douglas case. In that case, α - the capital share - determines the shape of the law of motion function for capital accumulation. If α is close to one the law of motion is close to being linear in capital; if it is close to zero (but not exactly zero), the law of motion is quite nonlinear in capital. In terms of Figure 2.1, an α close to zero will make the steady state lower, and the convergence to the steady state will be quite rapid: from a given initial capital stock, few p eriods are necessary to get close to the steady state. If, on the other hand, α is close to one, the steady state is far to the right in the figure, and convergence will be slow. When the production function is linear in capital - when α equals one - we have no positive steady state. 2 Suppose that sA+1−δ exceeds one. Then over time output would keep growing, and it would grow at precisely rate sA + 1 − δ. Output and consumption would grow at that rate too. The “Ak” production technology is the simplest tech- nology allowing “endogenous growth”, i.e. the growth rate in the model is nontrivially determined, at least in the sense that different types of behavior correspond to different growth rates. Savings rates that are very low will even make the economy shrink - if sA + 1 − δ goes below one. Keeping in mind that savings rates are probably influenced by government policy, such as taxation, this means that there would be a choice, both by individuals and government, of whether or not to grow. The “Ak” model of growth emphasizes physical capital accumulation as the driving force of prosperity. It is not the only way to think about growth, however. For example, 2 This statement is true unless sA + 1 − δ happens to equal 1. 7 k t k t+1 k 1 ∗ k ∗ 2 Figure 2.2: Random productivity in the Solow model one could model A more carefully and be specific about how productivity is enhanced over time via explicit decisions to accumulate R&D capital or human capital - learning. We will return to these different alternatives later. In the context of understanding the growth of output, Solow also developed the methodology of “growth accounting”, which is a way of breaking down the total growth of an economy into components: input growth and technology growth. We will discuss this later too; growth accounting remains a central tool for analyzing output and productivity growth over time and also for understanding differences between different economies in the cross-section. 2.2.2 Business Cycles Many modern studies of business cycles also rely fundamentally on the Solow model. This includes real as well as monetary models. How can Solow’s framework turn into a business cycle setup? Assume that the production technology will exhibit a stochastic component affecting the productivity of factors. For example, assume it is of the form F = A t ˆ F (K t , L) , where A t is stochastic, for instance taking on two values: A H , A L . Retaining the assump- tion that savings rates are constant, we have what is depicted in Figure 2.2. It is clear from studying this graph that as productivity realizations are high or low, output and total savings fluctuate. Will there be convergence to a steady state? In the sense of constancy of capital and other variables, steady states will clearly not be feasible here. However, another aspect of the convergence in deterministic model is inherited here: over time, initial conditions (the initial capital stock) lose influence and eventually - “after an infinite number of time periods” - the stochastic process for the endogenous 8 variables will settle down and become stationary. Stationarity here is a statistical term, one that we will not develop in great detail in this course, although we will define it and use it for much simpler stochastic processes in the context of asset pricing. One element of stationarity in this case is that there will be a smallest compact set of capital stocks such that, once the capital stock is in this set, it never leaves the set: the “ergodic set”. In the figure, this set is determined by the two intersections with the 45 o line. 2.2.3 Other topics In other macroeconomic topics, such as monetary economics, labor, fiscal policy, and asset pricing, the Solow model is also commonly used. Then, other aspects need to b e added to the framework, but Solow’s one-sector approach is still very useful for talking about the macroeconomic aggregates. 2.3 Where next? The mo del presented has the problem of relying on an exogenously determined savings rate. We saw that the savings rate, in particular, did not depend on the level of capital or output, nor on the productivity level. As stated in the introduction, this course aims to develop microfoundations. We would therefore like the savings behavior to be an outcome rather than an input into the model. To this end, the following chapters will introduce decision-making consumers into our economy. We will first cover decision making with a finite time horizon and then decision making when the time horizon is infinite. The decision problems will be phrased generally as well as applied to the Solow growth environment and other environments that will be of interest later. 9 10 [...]... argument in t=0 t=0 the instantaneous utility index u (·) is increasing without bound, while for β < 1 β t is decreasing to 0 This seems to hint that the key to having a convergent series this time lies in the form of u (·) and in how it “processes” the increase in the value of its argument In the case of CES utility representation, the relationship between β, σ, and γ is thus the key to boundedness In particular,... logarithmic case When σ > 1, an increase in Rt,t+k would lead ct to go up and savings to go down: the income effect, leading to smoothing across all goods, is larger than substitution effect Finally, when σ < 1, the substitution effect is stronger: savings go up whenever Rt,t+k goes up When σ = 0, the elasticity is in nite and savings respond discontinuously to Rt,t+k 17 3.1.2 In nite horizon Why should macroeconomists... equalizing the marginal cost of saving to the marginal benefit of saving is a condition for an optimum How do the primitives affect savings behavior? We can identify three component determinants of saving: the concavity of utility, the discounting, and the return to saving Their effects are described in turn (i) Consumption “smoothing”: if the utility function is strictly concave, the individual prefers... restricting V to lie in a 3 See Stokey and Lucas (1989) 27 restricted space of functions This or other, related, restrictions play the role of ensuring that the transversality condition is met We will make use of some important results regarding dynamic programming They are summarized in the following: Facts Suppose that F is continuously differentiable in its two arguments, that it is strictly increasing in. .. effects of changes in the marginal return on savings, R, on the consumer’s behavior An increase in R will cause a rise in consumption in all periods Crucial to this result is the chosen form for the utility function Logarithmic utility has the property that income and substitution effects, when they go in opposite directions, exactly offset each other Changes in R have two components: a change in relative prices... Alternatively, using formulation B, since u(f (kt ) − kt+1 ) is concave in (kt , kt+1 ), which follows from the fact that u is concave and increasing and that f is concave, the objective is concave in {kt+1 } The constraint set in formulation B is clearly convex, since all it requires is kt+1 ≥ 0 for all t Finally, a unique solution (to the problem as such as well as to the first-order conditions) is obtained if... results to in nite-horizon models if the horizon is long enough In nitehorizon models are stationary in nature - the remaining time horizon does not change as we move forward in time - and their characterization can therefore often be obtained more easily than when the time horizon changes over time The similarity in results between long- and in nite-horizon setups is is not present in all models in economics... interpret the key equation for optimization, the Euler equation, it is useful to break it down in three components: u (ct ) Utility lost if you invest “one” more unit, i.e marginal cost of saving = βu (ct+1 ) Utility increase next period per unit of increase in ct+1 · f (kt+1 ) Return on the invested unit: by how many units next period’s c can increase Thus, because of the concavity of u, equalizing... imposing the no-Ponzi-game (nPg) condition, by explicitly adding the restriction that: at lim t ≥ 0 t→∞ R Intuitively, this means that in present-value terms, the agent cannot engage in borrowing and lending so that his “terminal asset holdings” are negative, since this means that he would borrow and not pay back Can we use the nPg condition to simplify, or “consolidate”, the sequence of budget constraints?... maker faces is identical at every point in time As an illustration, in the examples that we have seen so far, we posited a consumer placed at the beginning of time choosing his in nite future consumption stream given ∞ ∗ an initial capital stock k0 As a result, out came a sequence of real numbers kt+1 t=0 indicating the level of capital that the agent will choose to hold in each period But once he has . consumption-savings decision problem. It is, in this case, a “planning prob- lem”: there is no market where the individual might obtain an interest income from his savings, but rather savings yield. in the instantaneous utility index u (·) is increasing without bound, while for β < 1 β t is decreasing to 0. This seems to hint that the key to having a convergent series this time lies in. economy shrink - if sA + 1 − δ goes below one. Keeping in mind that savings rates are probably in uenced by government policy, such as taxation, this means that there would be a choice, both by individuals